Shadow Vows
by Shotzette
Summary: Laverne was never one to break a promise...


This work of fanfiction was written for enjoyment purposes only, and is not intended to infringe upon any copyrights held by Paramount, ABC, or anyone else living, dead, or imagined. Do not reprint or archive without the written permission of the author.  
  
"Shadow Vows"  
By Shotzette  
Rated PG  
  
Laverne smiled as she watched Danny stumble across the green grass. He was nearly three years old, and full of energy. She never thought it possible to love anyone this much. Some days, she wondered how her heart could stand it.  
  
Then again, if her heart could stand the pain of breaking, who was she to wonder if it could stand the pain of loving someone too much?  
  
She had never known greater pain and anguish than she did the day Danny was born. She also had never known greater joy then when the nurse put him in her arms. He had opened his large blue eyes and looked at her, knowing who she was and what role she would play in his life. The eyes of an old departed soul in a newborn face. She had never felt such a connection, such a bond. Danny was the connection between a grievous loss and the joy and boundless hope of a new life. No one had ever needed her so much, and she had never needed anyone else as much.  
  
His birth changed everything.  
  
Danny was an amazing child. Since the beginning, total strangers had remarked upon his cherub-like beauty as Laverne held him protectively in her arms. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for Danny.  
  
Laverne often awoke in the night terrified that something would happen to her, or her husband. She no longer feared her own mortality for herself, but the thought of Danny growing up without both parents frightened her beyond words. She knew first hand what that was like.  
  
Her Pop had tried. God knows, he had tried to be both mother and father to her. But she had always sensed the emptiness in their home.  
  
Laverne set her jaw. Danny would never intimately know the pain of abandonment the way she did.  
  
Ironically, her father had been the least understanding of anyone when she married Danny's father.  
  
"He doesn't love you, Muffin", her father had said. "He never will."  
  
She replied that it was no longer just about her. It was about Danny.  
  
They hadn't spoken since that night.  
  
It had been a long and lonely walk down the church aisle.  
  
Her friends had supported her outwardly as much as they could. None of them had truly approved of her decision, but they had promised to be there for her. And they were.  
  
As Shirley's smiling face flashed before her eyes, she once again acknowledged how hard being a true friend could be.  
  
Laverne shook her head briskly to clear it.  
  
When push came to shove, she actually had very little to complain about. She had a beautiful son, a nice house in a swankier suburban neighborhood than she ever could have dreamed of in her younger days, and a husband who treated her well.  
  
Laverne looked down at the wedding ring on her left hand. He had offered to buy her an engagement ring when he proposed, but practical soul that she was, Laverne couldn't see shelling out that sort of cash on a charade.  
  
The wedding ring was a different story. It symbolized commitment, fidelity, and stability. The three things that Danny's parents needed to have.  
  
So what if they had never really been in love?  
  
There was some love now. A kind, gentle warmth born of friendship, respect, and companionship. Neither one of them could bear the thought of being alone in the world after Danny's birth.  
  
He knew he wasn't the love of her life, and she sure as hell knew she wasn't the love of his.  
  
But Danny was the only thing that truly mattered in the long run.  
  
They had once tentatively discussed the subject of a second child. Neither had been enthusiastic in the least.  
  
They were both still afraid. The day of Danny's birth had stripped away any illusions of control they ever had, and any assurances that the universe was a fair place.  
  
And more so, she knew, deep down, that she could never love another child as much as Danny.  
  
No regrets and no complaints. She went into this marriage with her eyes open. Her marriage was better than most, she thought to herself. She and her husband had slowly learned to be comfortable with each other and were surprised to find out that they had a few common interests besides Danny.  
  
She introduced him to baseball, he introduced her to tennis.  
  
She had been surprised to discover in him a dry wit that never failed to make her laugh. She knew deep down that he had been shocked to discover that her tough exterior shielded a keen mind and a compassionate spirit.  
  
They weren't the great loves of each other's lives, but they had become each other's rocks.  
  
"Hey," said a deep voice behind her, bringing her back to the present.  
  
Laverne looked up into her husband's face. Not a classically handsome face by any description, but one who's kind eyes and gentle nature always seemed to give her strength when she was at her lowest points.  
  
"Hey, yourself," she replied as she noted his red rimmed eyes.  
  
"Thanks for giving me a moment to collect myself back there."  
  
"I understand." And she did. Far better than anyone else.  
  
"How's my guy," he said has he reached down to pick up the toddler gripping his knees. Danny squealed with laughter as his father held him aloft.  
  
Laverne smiled at the two men in her life, knowing she had kept her promise thus far. She would take care of them both as long as she could.  
  
Brushing the stray grass off of her summer skirt, Laverne stood and reached out for Danny.  
  
"I think our little cowboy and I are going to head back to the car. I promised to buy someone an ice cream cone if he was a good boy, and he certainly was, weren't you?" she asked as she gave Danny a loud kiss on the cheek that made him giggle. "Besides," she continued, glancing into her husband's overly bright eyes, then down to the headstone in front of them, "you probably want a few minutes alone."  
  
*****  
  
Walter Meeney smiled gently as he watched his wife and their son walk across the green hills back to their Buick. He then knelt by the headstone and forced his tear-filled eyes to read the epitaph.  
  
Shirley Wilhemina Feeney Meeney  
1940-1969  
Beloved Wife, Mother, and Friend  
  
Fin 


End file.
